


Hand and Foot

by fecklessphilanderer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amputation, Bathing/Washing, Hurt/Comfort, Husbands, Injury, Keith is anxious, Miscommunication, Prosthesis, nothing graphic though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24687970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fecklessphilanderer/pseuds/fecklessphilanderer
Summary: Keith isn't worried about it. That's what great about alien medical technologies. He's up and walking on the prosthetic two weeks after losing his foot.But he is worried about how Shiro will take the news.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 92





	Hand and Foot

The Blade have their own healing pods. Not as simple or easy as an Altean pod, more uncomfortable and disgusting—goopier.

The nice thing about these is they only lasted a few hours and did not always force you unconscious for the healing process. The downside being that you had to be awake while your body was submerged in goo. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if Keith wasn’t so banged up that he had to spend almost a week in and out of consciousness with what he could only describe as a snorkeling getup over his face so he could stay completely submerged.

The second week was easier, only submerged from the waist down during the day and allowed to sleep in the hospital bed overnight.

By the time he got to his bi-weekly call with his husband he was just finished his last session in the goo and sat up in the hospital bed. Thankful that it was not a video call due to the precarious nature of their current Blade mission.

It was also easier to listen to Shiro regale gossip and Hunk’s most recent cooking mishap when he didn’t also have to pretend he wasn’t staring at the stump of his lower calf or the glint of the soon to be attached prosthetic at the end of the bed.

He doesn’t lie. He just avoids the truth. He says he sustained an injury and had just got out of the goo. He does not specify how long his stint in the medbay had been but Shiro seems more focussed on how Keith’s feeling. So, Keith says he’s fine and stays silent.

Two more weeks pass, he gets used to his new foot and ankle. Becomes active again. Gets into a few more fights. A fresh set of stitches.

Another week passes.

And then he’s flying back to the Atlas. 

…

He docks his ship sometime during the Atlas’s night-cycle. Happy to avoid any fanfare.

There’s something far worse that Keith needs to face.

It’s not like he intended to lie to Shiro, but at this point he’d had more than enough opportunity to tell him and he hadn’t.

It was embarrassing really. Falling debris and his obsession with leaving no Galra behind meant Keith’s leg was at the wrong place and the wrong time. He was just lucky that the damage hadn’t cost him more than his foot and ankle. He didn’t regret it.

Now that he was walking the Atlas halls he could swear he could hear the difference in sound between his footsteps. Was there a falter in his step or was it just the anxiety as he drew nearer to the captain’s quarters?

Too late to back down though. Not that he would. He was too proud for that.

Loved Shiro too much for that.

Which was why he was terrified of fucking this up.

The door to their quarters wooshes open with a dull clunk and he throws his boots down into their usual spot.

Sometimes when he came home like this he would strip in the entryway and leave his bags right there on the floor to be dealt with later.

Tonight, he is methodical in his anxiety, careful to tiptoe through the dark apartment and pausing to get himself a glass of water.

There’s the clacking on claws on the hard floors as Kosmo rounds the corner. The wolf wags his tail, pausing to snuffle at Keith’s feet in curiosity before begging for pets.

Keith laughs and leans down to ruffle up the wolf’s mane.

“Doesn’t both you any does it bud?”

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice in sleep soaked and rough where he stands at the entrance to their bedroom. His shirt is rucked up and he runs a hand through his hair.

Keith nearly jumps out of his skin at the sight he hadn’t even noticed the dim light of the bedroom flicking on. Suddenly he can look anywhere but Shiro.

“What’s wrong?”

There’s the steady pressure of Shiro’s hand on his shoulder, he wants to burrow into that warmth. When Keith doesn’t reply Shiro lets out a small sigh before giving a tug.

“Let’s get you ready for bed,” his large hand travels down Keith’s arm to grasp his fingers and Keith woodenly lets himself be dragged to the bedroom.

He doesn’t wake up from his frozen state until there’s the sound of his flightsuit’s zipper and cool air caressing his bare back as Shiro begins to peel it off his shoulders in the dull light of the bedroom.

“Wait!” Keith jerks away.

Shiro’s sleepiness disappears as Keith turns to face him half out of the suit. Instead of sleepy Shiro looks outright concerned but he does not reach for Keith again.

“I—I…” Keith can’t remember what he’d wanted to say, planned his whole flight back and yet he could barely string together words. The guilt from lying to Shiro was eating him alive.

“Whoa! Keith, hey.” Shiro’s fingers trace the scar across Keith’s cheek softly as he walks them back to the bed.

Shiro sits down and pulls Keith to stand between his spread knees. His arm is docked in its charging port at the bedside table, so he uses his hand to catch both of Keith’s and pulls them to his lips.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

He can feel the light brush of Shiro’s thumb across his knuckles. Can see the way his eyebrows pull together in concern, never leaving Keith’s face.

“We’re going to need another charging port.” Keith mentally slaps himself in the face.

Now Shiro looks confused and worried, he tilts his head to the side the same way Kosmo does when he can’t understand Lance trying to teach him to roll over. 

“I’ve been lying to you Shiro,” Keith mentally punches himself, that’s not quite right either and is most definitely not the sensitive way to deliver this news.

“That’s okay, I can’t say I know what you’re talking about though Keith?”

Shiro is being so gentle, even if he is confused. It makes Keith want to cry.

“No, I’ve been lying, I didn’t know how to tell you and then weeks went by and—”

“Breathe baby,” Shiro lets go of his hands to flatten his palm across Keith’s bare chest, right over his heartbeat.

Keith breathes into the pressure.

“Shiro…”

“You know you can tell me anything Keith.”

Keith sags against Shiro, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

He’s a man of action, always has been. He doesn’t know how to say this in words. Or maybe he’s too scared to. Instead of saying anything else he pulls away from Shiro’s warmth and strips the rest of his flight suit away.

He watches Shiro’s face as he does it, his eyes run across Keith’s body. Searching for injury and finding none. Shiro’s shoulders relax at that.

Then he steps fully out of the suit and kicks it away before he can change his mind. He faces Shiro in his underwear and waits.

Shiro’s face goes through a series of unreadable expressions as he zeroes in on the prosthetic. Then he turns away from Keith and rummages in the bedside drawer.

“Uh…Shiro?”

He tugs out a short box and a jumble of wire before attaching down to plug it in behind the bedside table. He shoves his own arm back to make space before sitting up again to face Keith.

“Krolia told me this should be the right model, right? If it’s not, we could always go to a space mall and pick up the right kind. I know you probably only have one charger.”

Keith stares blankly at the charging port set up for his foot and then back at Shiro who seems to have returned to giving him his undivided attention.

“Sorry I interrupted. What did you want to tell me?”

“Krolia told you!?”

“Yeah, she…” Shiro squints at Keith then and his brows pull up into even more distress and concern that before.

“Kolivan called me when you were in the goo Keith,” Shiro says softly, “he called Krolia too. Did he not tell you?” Shiro asks. Keith shakes his head.

“Oh Keith,” Shiro breathes his name like a prayer and Keith is torn between distress and guilt when Shiro stands again to wrap Keith into a hug.

“You didn’t say anything about it when we called,” he says into Shiro’s pec as he’s guided towards the bed once again and into Shiro’s lap.

“I thought you wouldn’t want me to make a big deal out of it.”

Keith lets out a strained laugh.

“I’m sorry I lied. I missed you.” Shiro smells like Keith’s shampoo when he noses at his throat.

“I missed you too…” Shiro leans away to look Keith in the eye while his fingers dance over his thighs in calming patterns, “I really wouldn’t call it lying. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want to worry you, thought it would bring back bad memories. Then it suddenly felt so huge the longer I said nothing I couldn’t.”

“I was worried, I would’ve flown right to you but Kolivan told me to stay put and prepare for you to return instead. He thought you might not heal too well.”

Keith huffs, “I healed fine.”

Shiro smiles at him, looking moony.

“I knew you would.”

They sit in silence for a few moments.

“If you’re ever really hurt like this again Keith—”

“I know…I’ll tell you properly. I just didn’t want you to hurt you.”

Shiro looks pensive.

“It really doesn’t bring back bad memories to know you’re hurt Keith. Although I’d rather you weren’t. To be honest, not knowing worries me more. Not knowing means I can’t help and am blindsided when I find out.”

Keith’s guilt wells up behind his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“I forgive you.” Shiro presses a kiss to Keith’s temple as his hand trails down to finger the spot just above Keith’s ankle where the hard-prosthetic gives way to flesh.

“Does it hurt?” Shiro asks.

Keith shakes his head.

“Tingles a little sometimes, but there’s not much phantom pain.”

Shiro hums and continues to trace the skin of his lower calf with reverence.

“Does having it bother you?”

“No, I’m already kind of used to it. I fell over a lot the first few times I tried to spar with it though.”

“You always were adaptable. I’m sorry you had to go through it alone.”

“I didn’t, I was with the Blades.” Shiro nods.

The Blade is like family to Keith. His first connection to his culture and to his mother.

“Do you want a bath?”

“I don’t want to keep you up, I’ll just shower.” Now that Shiro knows and the tension has drained from him Keith can feel the buildup of sweat on his body from sitting in the cockpit so long on his flight back. His hair feels limp on his naked back.

“I want to take care of you.”

He almost says not again. But from the look on Shiro’s face Keith can tell there’s no chance he’ll get any sleep while Keith showers.

“Alright.” He backs off Shiro and they make there way to the bathroom.

Their tub is just the right size for the both of them, a luxury afforded only to the Captain and one they savour when they can—which isn’t often.

Keith strips out of his underwear and then detaches his foot. It’s waterproof but he hasn’t had a bath in a long time. He wants it to touch all of his skin.

Shiro takes it from him to put on charge while the tub fills and Keith is content to watch the water rise leant up against the counter.

Shiro doesn’t try to help him into the tub which Keith is thankful for.

He uses his knee for leverage on the edge of the tub before stepping his foot in and sinking down into the hot water with a sigh.

Shiro settles in behind him and begins washing his hair and combing it out without preamble.

The feeling of fingers on his scalp soothes how raw Keith feels. He gets like this sometimes. He knows Shiro’s started to pick up on it.

Faced with love as unconditional as Shiro’s Keith often doesn’t know what to do with himself. Every time he thinks Shiro won’t think he’s worth the trouble he’s proven wrong by his husband’s big heart and gentle hands time and again.

“I love you,” Keith whispers as he relaxes completely into Shiro’s capable hands as he moves to wash his body, working out the kinks under the hot water and steam.

“I love you too.” Shiro replies before they fall into companionable silence.

Shiro offers helps him up when they drain the tub and Keith balances with a hand on the wall while Shiro dries him off. Satisfied with his work he picks Keith up and takes him to bed boneless and lethargic in his arms.

Keith falls asleep before he even touches the mattress.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey I feel like not a lot happens in this fic but I also really wanted to explore this idea! Thanks for reading.


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